Jon Pritchard, deputy chief of the Cottage Grove Fire Department, will become chief of the department at the end of the year.
The Cottage Grove City Council appointed Pritchard to be chief, effective Dec. 30, at their Wednesday council meeting. Fire Chief Rick Redenius, who has been chief since 2012, is retiring on Dec. 29. Except for a stint from 1992 to 1994, Redenius, 55, has been with the department since 1987.
“I am incredibly honored to lead the department after Chief Redenius retires,” said Pritchard, 41, of Cottage Grove. “I am excited to build on the great success we have seen over the last few years and to continue to meet the demands of a growing and vibrant community.”
The fire department has 45 employees in a combination of full- and part-time positions.
Pritchard has 18 years of experience in fire and emergency medical services, including roles as a career chief officer, paid on-call and part-time firefighter. He has been deputy chief since 2019.
Prior to working full-time in Cottage Grove, Pritchard worked as a nurse supervisor in the emergency department at Regions Hospital in St. Paul and was a part-time district chief with the White Bear Lake Fire Department. He is a certified community paramedic and a registered nurse.
Pritchard has a master’s degree in nursing and a bachelor’s degree in sociology and history from the University of Minnesota; an associate’s degree in fire science technology from Hennepin Technical College in Brooklyn Park, and an associate’s degree in emergency management from Frederick, Md., Community College. He also holds multiple fire service certifications including Fire Officer III and Fire Instructor III, along with multiple specialty nursing and medical certifications.
Pritchard enjoys baseball, running, biking and building Legos with his son, Andrew, 11. He also is a Boy Scout troop leader and merit badge counselor.